“You can see whether a possibly harmful microbe is increasing in number in real time. If needed, we could then take actions to counteract those microbes.”

“You don’t have overnight mail when you go to space,” added JPL’s Kasthuri Venkateswaran. “You have to do all the analysis by yourself. This project will develop an automated system for studying molecular biology with minimal crew intervention.”

A plastic cartridge design that will be made 3D printable as part of the Omics in Space project. Photo via AI Biosciences.

A similar issue applies to scientific apparatus. Conducting many of the omics experiments requires plastic cartridges to extract nucleic acids from blood or saliva samples using an automated DNA/RNA extractor, so the samples can then be analyzed using the MinION sequencing tool.

These cartridges must be specially designed so that they don’t spill in microgravity, float, or form air bubbles that compromise results. They must also be available on demand when needed, so they do not take up valuable space. To address these requirements, the JPL has suggested 3D printing.

“We’re taking what’s on Earth to analyze DNA and consolidating all the steps into an automated system,” Camilla Urbaniak, a researcher at the JPL said. “What’s new is we’re developing a one-stop-shop that can extract and process all of these samples.”

The design of the cartridges includes multiple wells. Each well in the cartridge can hold solutions which a DNA sample can be dipped into. These solutions are mixed with magnetic particles that help purify the sample before inserting it into a MinION DNA sequencer.

Scientists will now spend four years developing cartridges and additional equipment that can be 3D printed in the microgravity conditions of the ISS.

An automated DNA extractor designed by AI Biosciences. A new NASA project seeks to modify the plastic cartridge in this extractor so that it can be 3D-printed on the International Space Station. Photo via AI Biosciences.

Enhancing space travel with 3D printing

A3DPT-2-Marsis another project looking at the feasibility of 3D printing operational tools in outer space. The project, led by the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF), isa simulated field mission that will be conducted in Dhofar, a region of the Omani desert.

International scientists working on the project will look at how spare parts might be manufactured on the surface of the red planet.

Let us know what you think the most groundbreaking application of 3D printing has been this year. Make your nominations for the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2018 now.